A Few Ways to Select a Tea

Select a tea by category, region, taste or TCM character

At TeaHong.com, we try to put ourselves in our customers’ shoes. Different people have different priorities. Each sees the world differently. Naturally when it comes to selecting a tea, your criteria may not be the same as that of any other tea drinkers. That is why we group our tea products in different ways so you can see them in the context that is closest to how you think when selecting a tea.

The most common way to group different varieties of tea is by the category of processing method with which they are produced. Some call it Tea Classification, others Tea Categorisation. We think the later label is semantically more accurate.

Many connoisseurs and tea specialists organise their collections with this concept.

Experience and explore

Begin by tasting a few selections using various infusion styles to gain more specialist understanding of the finesses and differences. Relate this with your personal preferences and you will gradually carve out a direction in building your own repertoire of tea. This will be your very own line that best suits your taste and your needs. With repeated usage your senses and perceptions will deepen. This will empower you with the connoisseur skill to easily master yet more varieties to continue to gain levels in the vast world of tea.

Selection by TCM Characters

This is for those who understand the needs of answering the voice of the body. A well customised and balanced collection not only helps to maximise tea’s health benefits, but also tea’s gastronomic qualities. At Tea Hong, we categorise our collection by traditional Chinese medicinal character.

Snow Orchid 2018

USD 18.30

Xuepian Ya-shi Xiang:

Finer winter Phoenix oolongs have always been sought after for their unforgettable natural bouquet fragrances. To us, an aroma of a premium tea has to be complete with a winning taste profile. It has taken us over a decade to fine tune the mastery of the processing of the choicest harvest to attain a result we can be proud of. Presenting Tea Hong’s very own Snow Orchid, the roundest, smoothest, and by far the most seductively fragrant oolong ever known. It is our luscious indulgence secretly from Nature.Net weight: 40 g (1.3 oz) in Kraft-alu pack

Iron Buddha Supreme 2018

USD 25.20

Bamboo Forest Tiě Luohan:

Overshadowed by the more promoted Red Cloak, Iron Buddha ( Tiě Luohan ) is actually as taste-worthy, if not more, than any of the so-called “famous” Wuyi oolongs. It is not proven that whether it is the oldest oolong cultivar in Wuyi as they say, but it is certainly one that is not the easiest to cultivate and to produce from. Finding a farmer to process it to the taste profile that befits its legend and our quality demand has been a challenge. It took us 15 years. Presenting Tea Hong’s Iron Buddha Supreme, with that complex charcoal finish yet sweet floral aroma, stout yet lingering “rock tea” taste, delivered gently in a well-balanced infusion in a civilised way. This could very well be the only traditional style Wuyi that any connoisseur would fall in love with.Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in Kraft-alu pack

Lapsang Souchong Pristine 2017

USD 24.80

Tongmuguan* Original and Unsmoked:

Presenting the original, authentic and prime quality Lapsang Souchong. Small, tightly rolled whole leaves with a black sheen. Non-smoked. 100% hand-plucked first flush. For a pure, fruity sweet and warmly aromatic cup of untainted black tea. Just like how they used to have it in the captain’s cabin in an East Indian Trading clipper two centuries ago, when they had just loaded the ship with the year’s fresh tea to race home for the eagerly awaiting tea merchants all over Europe.Net weight: 90 g (3.2 oz) in Kraft-alu pack

USD 25.30

Baxian Supreme:

This Phoenix dancong is rare in many ways. It is the best Eight Immortals we have tasted, including award winning ones. Not only is it mild but flavorful like a good Baxian should be, but also gently and yet persistently fragrant. On top of that, it is so softly baked but with enough depth to attain a low acidity for better friendliness to the weaker stomach. Not an easy task for making a bouquet dancong. Master Lin who grows this is a shy and mild person and an old friend. We could not be offering it at such great value otherwise.Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in Kraft-alu pack

Tieguanyin Traditional

USD 27.00

Original Tieguanyin Cultivar

To old time aficionados, tieguanyin is not just about floral aroma. They seek yun-wei, which can be roughly translated as “lingering taste of various tones and accents”. For the right yun-wei, we went to the origin of tieguanyin for a fourth generation farm high in altitude. Tea Hong’s Tieguanyin Traditional is produced from a particular patch where only matured shrubs of the thorough-breed cultivar grow and are harvested only once year. This is to ensure maximum amount of taste and salutary substances are stored in the young leaves for subsequent mastery processing for the wonderful lingering taste of various tones and accents. Like a fine old style tieguanyin should be.

USD 29.40

Unique Old Style White Tea from the Himalayas

One does not come upon a tea rare as White Shiiba that often. Intended originally for producing green tea, the small row of Japanese Shiiba tea plants that our producer has successfully planted in his farm in Nepal have acquired a different character from their Kyushu ancestors. Processing the leaves in the traditional white tea fashion is not common in itself in Nepal either. The old way of long wither style is rare, if heard of at all, outside of China. Somehow, through a string of coincidences, this old fashion Fujian processing done on an entirely different cultivar grown 1800 m above and 4000 km west of its origin has resulted in a tea that is simply one of the best tasting, and definitely the most likeable in the entire white tea category. Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in Kraft-alu pack

Sacred Lily 2018

USD 23.30

Prime of Wuyi Pedigrees:

Through years of researches a fine cultivar carrying the best traits of all the finest Wuyi natural cultivars is now mature and producing. Introducing Tea Hong’s Sacred Lily. Perhaps the most beautiful of all Wuyi oolongs. Grown deep in the steep mountains away from the touristy spots and masterfully processed for subtlety, complexity, and smoothness in taste. A tea that no true oolong connoisseur should miss.

Honey Orchid 2018

USD 24.10

Milan Xiang Dancong:

The fine mastery that produces Tea Hong’s Honey Orchid has to be coupled with select first flush harvests from high grown tea bushes in order to deliver the kind of quality only a restricted circle of tea aficionados have known and kept to their secret. The overall production volume for such quality in the whole Phoenix region is only a few thousand kilos after all. Most will go to local elites, and the rest to the few hardcore Phoenix oolong fans that are also tea merchants, like us.Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in Kraft-alu pack

USD 49.40USD 32.00

Huangzhi Xiang Dancong:

Song pedigree tea cultivar Huangzhi Xiang distinguishes itself from others of the same name not only by its living ancestor that has been carbon-dated back to the 13th century (late Song), but also by the elegantly complex taste and aroma of the tea it yields. That is why it is the most revered of all Phoenix oolong in its own origin and at the nearby Gongfu Tea Capital of the World — Chaozhou.Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in Kraft-alu pack

USD 49.40USD 32.00

Rated 5.00 out of 5

Information on a tea page

Detail information on each tea page includes a description, taste profile, infusion tips and a few properties described with icons. This article gives a general orientation in case you want to prepare yourself before browsing.

Our Tea Master’s very own favourite oolongs

Our collection of various categories of teas is the best amongst peers. However, there is one category that we have an especially large and highly specialised offerings of — oolongs. Our tea master Leo Kwan is known to be particularly passionate about this range of tea. Here are some of his personal favourites:

by random order

Wudong Xingren Xiang

For people who like classic style Phoenix but desire something more mellow than Honey Orchid, Orchid Gratus offers a taste that is as full-bodied. It is balanced with as subtle a warm and slightly sweet aroma. Not only is this a great choice for the veteran tea connoisseur who seeks peace in the cup, but is also a bridge between softer oolongs and the more vibrant world of taste in Fenghuang Dancong.Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in Kraft-alu pack

Prime of Wuyi Pedigrees:

Through years of researches a fine cultivar carrying the best traits of all the finest Wuyi natural cultivars is now mature and producing. Introducing Tea Hong’s Sacred Lily. Perhaps the most beautiful of all Wuyi oolongs. Grown deep in the steep mountains away from the touristy spots and masterfully processed for subtlety, complexity, and smoothness in taste. A tea that no true oolong connoisseur should miss.

Baxian Supreme:

This Phoenix dancong is rare in many ways. It is the best Eight Immortals we have tasted, including award winning ones. Not only is it mild but flavorful like a good Baxian should be, but also gently and yet persistently fragrant. On top of that, it is so softly baked but with enough depth to attain a low acidity for better friendliness to the weaker stomach. Not an easy task for making a bouquet dancong. Master Lin who grows this is a shy and mild person and an old friend. We could not be offering it at such great value otherwise.Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in Kraft-alu pack

Improved Rougui Cultivar:

A great showcase for why the name of the tea came about centuries ago, great discipline in the use of fire distinguishes Cassia Extraordinaire from most other Wuyi varieties with a supple, deliciously floral and delicate scent balanced with a full, lively body. This is Wuyi Cassia at its best.Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in Kraft-alu pack

Milan Xiang Dancong:

The fine mastery that produces Tea Hong’s Honey Orchid has to be coupled with select first flush harvests from high grown tea bushes in order to deliver the kind of quality only a restricted circle of tea aficionados have known and kept to their secret. The overall production volume for such quality in the whole Phoenix region is only a few thousand kilos after all. Most will go to local elites, and the rest to the few hardcore Phoenix oolong fans that are also tea merchants, like us.Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in Kraft-alu pack

Bamboo Forest Tiě Luohan:

Overshadowed by the more promoted Red Cloak, Iron Buddha ( Tiě Luohan ) is actually as taste-worthy, if not more, than any of the so-called “famous” Wuyi oolongs. It is not proven that whether it is the oldest oolong cultivar in Wuyi as they say, but it is certainly one that is not the easiest to cultivate and to produce from. Finding a farmer to process it to the taste profile that befits its legend and our quality demand has been a challenge. It took us 15 years. Presenting Tea Hong’s Iron Buddha Supreme, with that complex charcoal finish yet sweet floral aroma, stout yet lingering “rock tea” taste, delivered gently in a well-balanced infusion in a civilised way. This could very well be the only traditional style Wuyi that any connoisseur would fall in love with.Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in Kraft-alu pack

Centenary Bush Dahong Pao:

The most revered amongst all Wuyi oolongs, Da Hongpao (translate: Big Red Cloak) from the pure pedigree grown in better horticultural environment mean significant difference and are most sought after. Tea Hong’s Red Cloak Grande is an extremely limited production (10 kg/year) harvested from two second generation noble breed that are over 100 yrs old in the heights of Wuyi. Masterfully processed to best deliver the taste this name represents.Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in Kraft-alu pack

Huangzhi Xiang Dancong:

Song pedigree tea cultivar Huangzhi Xiang distinguishes itself from others of the same name not only by its living ancestor that has been carbon-dated back to the 13th century (late Song), but also by the elegantly complex taste and aroma of the tea it yields. That is why it is the most revered of all Phoenix oolong in its own origin and at the nearby Gongfu Tea Capital of the World — Chaozhou.Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in Kraft-alu pack

Dongfang Meiren:

To experience why this unique Taiwan white tip oolong was nicknamed Oriental Beauty by Queen Elizabeth II, you have to taste the real thing. It is perhaps the most demanding tea to process well. Harvested only once a year in summer and after the young leaves are bitten by a kind of tiny leafhopper, genuine Dongfang Meiren can attain its special taste profile only after following the oolong processing routine modified especially for this tea. Tea Hong’s Phong-hong tè — the original name of Oriental Beauty — is a prime selection from the origin in Hsinchu, Taiwan.

Slow Baked Tieguanyin:

Over a century of development since transplanting to Taiwan, tieguanyin produced in the emerald island is quite different from its cousin in Mainland China. Not only has the cultivar evolved differently, but also the more authentic technique with which it is produced. Tea Hong’s Alishan Guanyin has a fuller and smoother taste profile. Its distinction is possible through the finesse in its slow baking. Master Chen, who bakes also our Cold Peak, has elevated the processing into an art of leaves and fire.

Old Bush Milan Xiang:

For real aficionados who would not be satisfied until they have discovered a deeper depth, a rounder fullness and a more lingering sweetness, we’d go overboard to offer the extreme. Rarest small batches of leaves from special bushes individually processed only by top masters. Such as this supreme quality Milan Xiang Dancong. For those who demand more potential from the leaves for fulfilling their infusion skills. For thirsty souls seeking a moment of tranquility in the depth of the tinkling after-sweetness of Honey Orchid Supreme.Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in Kraft-alu pack

Caolan Dancong:

As a person continues to discover tea, sometimes finding one with subtle and yet complex fineness seems a lot more exciting than one with strong impressions. That is how we feel when we got hold of this. The locals aptly name it “Cao-lan” (Cymbidium goeringii), the rare orchid which ancient Chinese literati had revered for millenniums for its understated beauty and fragrance*. The long, sweet yet subtle taste and aftertaste of this tea echos the sentiments for the civilized persistence for humanity virtues of the classic eras. If you enjoy our Eight Immortals, Orchid Literati will take you to another level.Net weight: 40 g (1.8 oz) in Kraft-alu pack

Silk Finish Aijiao Wulong:

No this is not the beer but 100% pure oolong. Wuyi classic oolongs in general distinguish themselves from other oolongs with a stout, rather immediate and powerful impact. Tea Hong’s Cream Stout differs from the crowd with a soft creamy finish and a light tone of cream that is developed naturally in the tealeaves themselves. This is possible only with a new pedigree of tea cultivar, Aijiao Wulong. We believe you’ll like the oolong much better than the beer, as we do.Net weight: 40 g (1.4 oz) in Kraft-alu pack

Customer Reviews

Yet another way to get an idea is to see how other customers see our products. Read a few random reviews they have posted in this site, and click on the link to go to the product page:

Tieguanyin Floral

Blooming garden

I think this is the most naturally fragrant tea I ever had. Unforgettable aroma. I used a teaspoon of leaves to brew initially for one minute in a 2 cup teapot but filled only to 3/4. Can repeat 5 times and it was still good.

Jean v. Young

White Peony Classic Long 2016

Thank you for such wonderful quality

Before I actually opened the pack and infuse the tea, I never knew tea can be so wonderful! Thank you

sa11

Phoenix Classic 2018

Immediately my favourite oolong … it is just so mellow and flavourful, easy to drink with lovely sweet notes and aftertaste. Soft on the palate. I have to reorder this… as my new staple oolong tea to which others will be compared.

Jeannette Nielsen

Eight Immortals Wudong 2017

Good humble smell

Very comfortable good smell. Not too much like fragrant flower. Humble like good Confucius teaching. Long lasting and good class taste. This tea make me happy.

Tea Hong original name and tagline

Distinction in True Quality

Distinction comes with the ability to recognise, understand and master. In the realm of fine tea, gems await to be discovered and to shine with pride. Welcome to Tea Hong. Make our tea shine.

Asian text

Some pages in this site contain Chinese and/or Japanese characters, normally they should be displayed properly. However, in case you encounter problems seeing them, chances are a few clicks on your computer will do the trick. There are many instructions on the internet about this, this is one: The Guardian — How to see Chinese characters on your computer.